8. Stem even, brownish-red B. decorus

_Peck_, Boleti of the U.S. =B. sep´arans= Pk. (Plate CXVIII, fig. 1, p. 436.) =Pileus= convex, thick, glabrous, subshining, often pitted, pitted or corrugated, brownish-red or dull-lilac, sometimes fading to yellowish on the margin. =Flesh= white, unchangeable. =Tubes= at first nearly plane, adnate, white and stuffed, then convex, depressed around the stem, ochraceous-yellow or brownish-yellow and sometimes separating from the stem by the expansion of the pileus. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering upward, reticulated either wholly or in the upper part only, colored like the pileus or a little paler, sometimes slightly furfuraceous. =Spores= subfusiform, brownish-ochraceous, 12–15×5–6µ. =Pileus= 3–6 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 6–12 lines thick. Thin grassy woods. New York, _Peck_. _Peck_, Boleti of the U.S. West Virginia. September, 1881. New Jersey and Pennsylvania. October, 1887, _McIlvaine_. Indiana, October, 1898. _Dr. J.R. Weist_, _H.I. Miller_. One of the handsomest of Boleti. It varies greatly in size and color, but traces of purple or lilac are always detectable. The reticulations upon the stem are often obscure, especially in young specimens. It is pleasant when raw, and quite equal to any Boletus when cooked. (Plate CXIX.) [Illustration: 1, BOLETUS EDULIS, VAR. CLAVIPES. 2, 3, BOLETUS EDULIS. ] =B. edu´lis= Bull.—_edulis_, edible. (Plate CXVIII, fig. 5, p. 436.) =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, _glabrous_, moist, at first compact, then soft, variable in color, grayish-red, brownish-red or tawny-brown, often paler on the margin. =Flesh= white or yellowish, reddish beneath the cuticle. =Tubes= convex, nearly free, long, minute, round, _white, then yellow and greenish_. =Stem= short or long, straight or flexuous, subequal or bulbous, stout, more or less reticulate, especially above, whitish, pallid or brownish. =Spores= oblong-fusiform, 12–15×4–5µ. Var. _cla´vipes_. Plate CXIX. =Stem= tapering upward from an enlarged base, everywhere reticulated. =Pileus= 4–6 in. broad. =Stem= 2–6 in. long, 6–18 lines thick. Woods and open places. Not rare. _Peck_, Boleti of the U.S. Indiana, _H.I. Miller_, _Dr. J.R. Weist_; New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, _McIlvaine_. Some species of fungi appear to have that prize of Fairyland—the Wishing Cap—and by its power be able to take on any form they please. Boletus edulis is one of them. Its variableness is puzzling. It is eaten everywhere where found and is a favorite. Carefully sliced, dried and kept where safe from mold it may be prepared for the table at any season. =B. edulis= Bull.—Var. _clavipes_ Pk. (Plate CXIX, fig. 1, p. 445.) =Pileus= fleshy, convex, glabrous, grayish-red, bay-red or chestnut-color. =Flesh= white, unchangeable. =Tubes= at first concave or nearly plane, white and stuffed, then convex, slightly depressed around the stem, ochraceous yellow. =Stem= mostly obclavate (inversely club-shaped) and reticulate to the base. =Spores= oblong-fusiform, 12–15×4–5µ. The club-stemmed Boletus is so closely related to the edible Boletus and so closely connected by the intermediate forms that it seems to be only a variety of it, but one worthy of illustration. It differs in the more uniform color of the cap, in having the tubes less depressed around the stem and less tinted with green when mature, and in having the stem more club-shape and commonly reticulated to the base. The lower reticulations are usually coarser but less permanent than the upper. The cap is more highly colored when young and is apt to become paler with age, but the margin does not become paler than the central part, as it so often does in the edible Boletus. Individuals sometimes occur in which the stem is nearly cylindric and reticulated only on the upper part. These connect so closely with the edible Boletus that we have considered this to be a mere variety of it. In size and in edible qualities it is very similar to that species. _Peck_, 51st Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Same in quality as B. edulis. =B. vari´ipes= Pk.—variable stem. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, thick, soft, dry, _scaly, pointed scaly or minutely tomentose_, grayish or pale grayish-brown, sometimes tinged with yellow or ochraceous. =Flesh= white, unchangeable. =Tubes= convex or nearly plane, slightly depressed around the stem, at first white, then greenish-yellow, their mouths small, subrotund, _ochraceous_, stuffed when young. =Stem= firm, reticulated, whitish or pallid. =Spores= oblong-fusiform, ochraceous-brown tinged with green, 12–15×5µ. _Peck_, Boleti of the U.S. Mt. Gretna, Pa. August, 1898. Stem slightly reticulated at top, indistinctly striate below. Smell and taste strong, like B. felleus, but sweetish, not bitter. When tubes are removed and cap fried it is excellent. Var. _al´bipes_. =Stem= whitish, wholly reticulated, the reticulations coarser near the base. _Peck_, Boleti of the U.S. Mt. Gretna, Pa. August, 1898. Taste slightly acrid, smell slight. Excellent. Var. _pallid´ipes_. =Stem= pallid, slightly furfuraceous, even or obscurely reticulated toward the base, distinctly reticulated above. _Peck_, Boleti of the U.S. Satiny, shining. Taste slightly acrid, smell slight. Excellent. Var. _tenu´ipes_. =Stem= slender, elongated. _Peck_, Boleti of the U.S. Mt. Gretna, Pa. August, 1898, on decaying chestnut stump and on ground. Excellent. _McIlvaine._ This species, with its varieties, grows in mixed woods, the density of which has much to do with its general appearance. Individuals growing where the sun plays upon them, show the reticulations plainer than those maturing in the shade. The tubes should be removed before cooking. The caps are best fried. =B. exi´mius= Pk.—select. =Pileus= at first very compact, subglobose or hemispherical, subpruinose, _purplish-brown or chocolate color_, sometimes with a faint tinge of lilac, becoming convex, soft, smoky-red or pale-chestnut. =Flesh= grayish or reddish-white. =Tubes= at first concave or nearly plane, stuffed, colored nearly like the pileus, becoming paler with age and depressed around the stem, their mouths minute, rotund. =Stem= stout, generally short, equal or tapering upward, abruptly narrowed at the base, _minutely branny_, colored like or a little paler than the pileus, purplish-gray within. =Spores= subferruginous, 12.5–15×5–6µ. =Pileus= 3–10 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 6–12 lines thick. Woods and their borders. New England, _Frost_; New York, _Peck_. _Peck_, Boleti of the U.S. In mixed woods and in new clearings near Bartram’s Garden, Philadelphia, Pa. _McIlvaine._ A patch of it is treasure trove. =B. lepro´sus= Pk.—leprous. Pileus very convex, glabrous, soft like kid, cinereous-yellowish-drab or pale-brown, _slowly changing to whitish where bruised_, the cuticle separable. =Flesh= _white, changing to yellowish_. =Tubes= yellow or brownish-yellow, _changing to greenish where_ wounded, plane, depressed around the stem, short, small, stuffed when young. =Stem= solid, enlarged at the top, _lemon-yellow_. =Spores= oblong-fusiform, 12.5–15×5µ. =Pileus= 4–6 in. broad. =Stem= 2 in. long, 1 in. thick. Mixed woods. North Carolina, _C.J. Curtis_. This plant is remarkable for the whitish or leprous spots which the pileus assumes, even from being handled, and for the change in the color of the flesh and tubes. The stem is very thick at the top but tapers downward. _Peck_, Boleti of the U.S. (Plate CXX.) [Illustration: BOLETUS AFFINIS.] =B. affi´nis= Pk.—related. =Pileus= convex above or nearly plane, subglabrous, reddish-brown or chestnut color fading to tawny or dingy-ochraceous with age. =Flesh= white. =Tubes= plane or convex, adnate or slightly depressed around the stem, at first white and stuffed, then glaucous-yellow or subochraceous, changing to rusty-ochraceous where wounded. =Stem= subequal, even, glabrous, colored like or paler than the pileus. =Spores= rusty-ochraceous, 9–12×4–5µ. The Related boletus belongs to the tribe of Boleti known as Edules because of their especially esculent character, but it differs from the general character of the tribe in having its tubes not at all or but slightly shortened around the stem and in its stem not being thickened or bulbous at the base. The species is quite variable in the color of the cap, which is generally darker in young plants, paler in old ones. It may be brown, reddish-brown or blackish-brown when young, but is more or less tinged with tawny or ochraceous when old. It is smooth and even or minutely tomentose and sometimes slightly rugose. In wet weather the margin of the cap sometimes curves upward, giving a very convex surface to the tubes. Sometimes the wounded flesh slowly assumes a yellowish hue. The peculiar rusty-ochraceous hue of the spores is also seen sometimes in the tubes of old specimens. As in many species, the flesh of old plants is more soft than that of young ones. The stem is quite variable and is often narrowed downward. It is sometimes very obscurely reticulated at the top. The cap is generally 2–4 in. broad, the stem 1.5–3 in. long, 4–8 lines thick. The plants are found in thin woods or in bushy places in July and August. Var. _maculo´sus_ Pk. differs from the type simply in having a few yellowish spots scattered over the cap. While not as high flavored as some Boleti this is, nevertheless, a fairly good and perfectly safe one. _Peck_, 49th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Very open timber in Woodlands Cemetery, Philadelphia. August, 1898. _McIlvaine._ A solitary species which does not appear to be plentiful. The whole fungus is edible, but the stems and tubes are of different texture from the caps and do not cook well with them. =B. æstiva´lis= Fr.—pertaining to summer. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, even, _glabrous, whitish_, granulose in dry weather. =Flesh= yellow below, white above. =Tubes= nearly free, the mouths minute, equal, yellow. =Stem= very thick, bulbous, even, glabrous, pale yellow, reddish within at the base. =Spores= elongated-oval, greenish-brown, rather dark, 11×4–5µ. =Pileus= 4–6 in. broad. =Stem= 4–5 in. long. Woods and woodland pastures. Minnesota, _Johnson_; California, _H. and M._ A large species, recorded as edible and said to be pleasant and delicate in flavor. I have seen no specimens of this. _Peck_, Boleti of the United States. West Virginia mountains, 1882, Haddonfield, N.J., 1894, _McIlvaine_, on grassy margin of woods. The flesh is sweet, nutty. Remove stems and tubes when old. =B. impoli´tus= Fr.—unpolished. =Pileus= convex, dilated, _flocculose_, at length grained in lines, unpolished, _tawny-brown_. =Flesh= white or whitish, unchangeable, yellowish under the cuticle. =Tubes= free, their mouths minute, yellow. =Stem= stout, subbulbous, even, _pubescent, pale-yellow_, sometimes with a reddish zone near the top. =Spores= oval or fusiform, pale greenish-brown, 7.5–10×5µ. =Pileus= 4–6 in. broad. =Stem= 2 in. long. Oak woods. California, _Harkness and Moore_. This species is recorded as edible and said to be among the most delicious. It is evidently rare in this country. According to Quelet the spores are ellipsoid, papillate, 15–18µ long. _Peck_, Boleti of the U.S. Near Bartram’s Garden, West Philadelphia, Pa., 1885. Thin mixed woods. _McIlvaine._ That this species is edible and delicious is vouched for by many. I can add my own pleasurable experience. =B. deco´rus= Frost.—decorous. =Pileus= convex, rather firm, tomentose, brownish tinged with red, the margin often darker colored. =Flesh= white, unchangeable. =Tubes= becoming free, yellow, _changing to green where wounded_. =Stem= bulbous, minutely branny, _brownish-red_, the bulb sometimes white and attenuated at the base. =Spores= 13×5µ. Rich woods. New England, _Frost_. _Peck_, Boleti of the U.S. Leominster, Mass., _C.F. Nixon_, August, 1897; Woodland Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pa., August, 1897, _McIlvaine_. =Cap= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 2–2½ in. high, but variable in size. Its edible qualities are excellent. =B. lima´tulus= Frost—polished. =Pileus= nearly flat, thin, glabrous, _viscid when moist_, somewhat polished and shining when dry, rich yellowish-brown. =Flesh= _reddish in the pileus_, darker in the stem. =Tubes= depressed around the stem, greenish-yellow, their mouths yellowish-brown. =Stem= small, subbulbous, colored like the pileus. =Spores= 12–15×4–5µ. =Pileus= 1–2.5 in. broad. Woods. New England, _Frost_. By the differently-colored tube mouths, this species approaches those of the next following tribe, but it is placed here because these are not red or reddish. _Peck_, Boleti of the U.S. =B. au´ripes= Pk.—yellow-stem. =Pileus= convex, subglabrous, yellowish-brown, sometimes cracking in areas when old. =Flesh= yellow, fading to whitish with age. =Tubes= nearly plane, their mouths small, subrotund, at first stuffed, yellow. =Stem= nearly equal, solid, even or slightly reticulated at the top, bright yellow, a little paler within. =Spores= ochraceous-brown tinged with green, 12×5µ. =Pileus= 3–6 in. broad. =Stem= 3–5 in. long, 8–12 lines thick. Under mountain laurel, _Kalmia latifolia_. Port Jefferson. July. The whole plant, except the upper surface of the pileus, is of a beautiful yellow color. The stem is sometimes more highly colored than the tubes. The species is referable to the tribe Edules. _Peck_, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Mt. Gretna, Pa. August, September, 1898. _McIlvaine._ In mixed woods in which _Kalmia latifolia_ is plentiful. The specimens found were in its vicinity. The caps are excellent. =B. leptoceph´alus= Pk. _Gr_—thin; _Gr_—head. =Pileus= thin, broadly convex or nearly plane, dry, minutely cracked, especially near the margin, light tawny-brown, sometimes tinged with reddish-brown. =Flesh= yellowish-white, taste at first mild, then slightly acrid. =Tubes= subventricose, depressed about the stem, nearly free, dingy olive-yellow, the mouths small, subrotund. =Stem= nearly equal, enlarged at the top, solid, glabrous or slightly pruinose-mealy, reticulated above, colored like the pileus, white within, with a white mycelium at the base. =Spores= greenish-olivaceous, fusiform, 12.5–17.5µ long, 5–6µ broad. =Pileus= 10–12.5 cm. broad. =Stem= 10–12.5 cm. long, 1.2–1.6 cm. thick. Dry, open woods. July. _Earle._ The reticulation of the upper part of the stem appears to be formed by the decurrent walls of the tubes. The species belongs to the tribe Edules. _Peck_, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 25. Edible. =B. fra´grans= Vitt.—fragrant. Fasciculate or solitary. =Pileus= 1–4 in. across, convex, dark-brown or umber-brown, often wavy, slightly tomentose, margin incurved. =Flesh= very thick, yellowish, sometimes unchangeable, at others changing to green or blue, and finally becoming reddish when broken. =Tubes= shortened around the stem and almost free, ½ in. or more long, openings small, roundish, yellow then greenish. =Stem= at first stout, ovate, usually tapering at the base, then lengthening and becoming thinner upward, even, variegated with yellow and red, solid. =Spores= pale-olive, elongato-fusiform, 10–12×4µ. In woods, under oaks, etc. =Pileus= bronze-brown, sometimes with purple shades. Often grows in dense clusters, and in this particular differing from any other British species. Very good for eating. _Massee._ Haddonfield, N.J. Oak woods. August to September, 1894. Mt. Gretna, Pa.,